


something beautiful to take me somewhere else

by jalexic



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, M/M, Prince!Ryan, Sneaking Around, peasant!gavin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 06:33:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4425077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jalexic/pseuds/jalexic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan Haywood is a royal prince, respected across the land. Gavin Free is the son of a farmer, a peasant in all senses of the word. They should not interact at all, let alone be in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	something beautiful to take me somewhere else

**Author's Note:**

> just a short little freewood i whipped up when i was supposed to be doing homework :P
> 
> title credit- the cheap bouquet - pierce the veil (i absolutely adore this song btw its beautiful)

The castle was quiet, the only sound coming from the guards patrolling the walls, their boots echoing on the stone floor. It was near the end of their shift, and all of them were tired, dragging their feet and yawning every so often. Ryan knew that this would be the perfect time to put his plan into action.

He leaned against his bedroom door, listening for the telltale sign of his personal guard walking down the hallway and around the corner, and then he pushed open the door gently, slipping through the small opening. His soft boots made little to no sound on the floor, and he padded gently down the hallway, holding his breath all the while. As he heard his guard walking in his direction, he pressed his body back into a dark little alcove in the wall, the cool stone chilling his skin through the material of his shirt. Ryan stood as still as a statue as his guard walked past, not even looking in his direction for his tired mind was elsewhere, and Ryan slowly released his breath, creeping out of his hiding spot and continuing down the hallway when it was safe.

He made his way through the castle, only ever stopping to avoid other guards, but he knew their routine by now, he had it all planned out from how often he made these midnight ventures. Ryan eventually made his way to the kitchen where the resident guard for the sector was asleep in a chair in the corner, snoring softly. He was always asleep, Ryan knew, not the most trustworthy guard but Ryan kept him solely for the sake of times like these. He quietly scanned the kitchen and made his way to the large pantry, taking a spare straw basket and filling it with food. He made sure not to take enough that the missing food would be noticeable, just an adequate amount for tonight. When he was done, Ryan gently picked up one of the spare folded tablecloths and settled it at the top of the basket, covering the food. He then made his way out of the kitchen, avoiding the sleeping guard as best he could.

Ryan continued on his practiced route through the castle, slipping by a few more guards until he was out into the courtyard, the cool night air seeping into his bones and making him shiver. There were only a few guards in the courtyard, and he managed to get by them all by slipping into the shadows, the feat made easier by the fact that their sleep-addled minds would not have registered him anyway. Maybe the castle didn’t have the best security, but Ryan knew that if the threat of danger loomed upon them, these guards were some of the best trained fighters in all of the kingdom and they would stop at nothing to defend the Haywood royal family.

But for now, Ryan was thankful for their obliviousness as he slipped out of the courtyard gates, sticking to the shadows as he moved beyond the castle walls. He couldn’t help but smile a little, the thrilling feeling of freedom overwhelming him, and he picked up his pace  as he made his way to his destination. He knew the way off by heart by now, having done this so many times previously, and before long, Ryan found himself at a small river, a trickle of silver reflecting the moonlight and cutting through the dark grass. He stood a little bit away from the river and placed down the basket near a pile of rocks that had become so familiar, and then he did what he always did on these nights, looking out at the trees surrounding him.

“Gavin?” he called out softly, his deep voice overriding the sound of water splashing gently against rocks, and before long Ryan saw a shift in the shadows of the trees.  From the darkness out stepped his companion, Gavin, who had a young face, bright eyes and a slim build.

“Ryan!” he exclaimed, perhaps a bit louder than he should have, but Ryan wasn’t concerned as he watched Gavin prance over to him, a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Ryan smiled back, and when Gavin reached him, he pulled the other man in for a tight hug, holding him close. Gavin buried his face in Ryan’s neck, his cold nose pressing against Ryan’s warm skin, and Ryan rested his cheek against Gavin’s soft hair, like a pillow. For a moment they just stood there, embracing and enjoying the warmth that accompanied the closeness, just breathing in each other.

After a little while, Gavin pulled back slightly and tilted his head up, biting his lip in an invitation, and Ryan gladly leaned forward, connecting their lips in a passionate kiss. It had been almost a month since they had last seen each other, with Ryan’s duties and Gavin’s labour getting in the way, but now that Gavin was here, in the flesh, not just a fleeting dream or a figment of his imagination, Ryan couldn’t help but kiss him hard, letting out all of his feelings. He expressed his frustrations at the fact that they had to sneak around, that they couldn’t just be together whenever they wanted. He also let out the sadness he felt at seeing Gavin so weak at times, so poor and derived from food that his ribs would show. Ryan hated that some people in the kingdom were so poor, he hated how unjust it was, but he knew he would try to the best of his ability to give everyone a fair chance. Ryan also poured his love into the kiss, his love of Gavin and everything he had to offer, how he was so kind and pure despite his struggles. Ryan loved how Gavin could make him see the good in the world, despite there being so much bad, and he was always thankful for Gavin’s beautiful smile.

Gavin kissed back, not as fierce as Ryan but full of emotion all the same, and they were both breathing hard by the time they parted. Gavin still had his eyes closed, his lips slightly swollen, and Ryan smirked a little, resting their foreheads together and nudging their noses gently. He knew that if anyone else saw him acting like this, so kind and soft, they would be shocked that the stoic prince was even capable of emotion. And not many people saw this side of him, Ryan knew, mainly because he was only like this with people he liked, and Gavin was one of those few.

“I missed you,” Gavin murmured, breaking Ryan out of his thoughts, and his voice was quiet but Ryan could still pick up how it shook a little, how there was a hint of sadness there, and it was all he could do to pull Gavin close once again, wrapping his arms around him.

“I missed you too,” he replied, the words muffled by Gavin’s hair, and once again they stood in their embrace, comforted by the other’s presence. Eventually Ryan remembered the basket and he pulled away, chuckling a little at Gavin’s pout. He picked up the basket and presented it to his companion.

“I brought you something,” he said, like it was a surprise of some kind, and in the light of the moon he saw Gavin roll his eyes fondly since he knew exactly what it was.

“If you keep feeding me I’m going to get all fat, Ry,” he joked, crossing his arms as he watched Ryan unfold the tablecloth.

“And I’ll still love you,” Ryan replied, and even though he couldn’t see it he knew that Gavin was blushing a little, biting his lip to hide a smile. Ryan let the tablecloth roll out, and he spread it over the ground as neatly as he could. The grass was a little wet from the rainfall that had occurred hours earlier, and some damp spots poked through the fabric here and there, but Ryan paid it no mind as he placed the basket in the middle of the makeshift picnic blanket, sitting down next to it. He looked up at Gavin, still standing there with his arms crossed, and patted the spot next to him. Gavin smiled as he settled down, leaning into Ryan who tucked him under his arm, protecting him from the cold mist of the stream sparkling in the air.

He took some food out of the basket, giving some to Gavin and keeping some himself, and together they ate, enjoying their midnight meal. Ryan could tell that Gavin was trying not to scarf down his food, trying to eat slowly and cleanly while still satisfying his permanent hunger. He was a lot healthier than the first time they had done this, able to control himself when it came to food, but he was still empty, almost always teetering on the edge of starving. Ryan had tried to tell him many times to eat as much as he wanted, expressing how he just wanted Gavin to be happy and content, but Gavin always felt bad, a little guilty as he thought of his family and the hollow residents of his small farming village, so he restrained himself.

They ate in silence, and soon the basket was empty, mostly due to Gavin but Ryan had eaten his fair share so that his companion didn’t feel ashamed. They sat then, watching the effervescent river flowing in front of them, and it was quiet except for the occasional hoot of an owl or soft rustling from the treeline.

Soon enough, Gavin spoke, filling the silence just like he always did, like Ryan knew he would. “You know,” he started, voice gentle but no longer sad, “spring is coming, and that’s the best season for harvesting crops. And the carrots have been growing really well recently with all the sunlight, and people usually pay quite a bit of money for them. And we actually bought a cow the other day, a massive one. I called him Edgar, and he kicks at everyone else but he’s actually really sweet.”

And there was Gavin, looking on the bright side and seeing the good in everything as always. Ryan admired that about him, how Gavin could be so optimistic about the world despite how he had to work himself to exhaustion everyday just to keep himself and his family alive. It sometimes made Ryan upset how unfair life was for his Gavin, how hard it all was, but it also made him happy to know that Gavin was still pure despite everything.

Ryan nodded a little. “That sounds great, Gav,” he said, and from there they continued talking, for a while about their respective lives on opposite ends of comfort and then about anything at all, like how Ryan started teaching himself to sew and how Gavin found a wild horse a few days ago. The conversation continued well into the night, the two of them sitting by the river under the stars, but soon enough it had to come to an end.

Gavin was the first to move, shifting slightly under Ryan’s arm and lifting his head from where it had been resting on Ryan’s shoulder. Ryan wanted to pull him back, keep him close, hold him forever, but he knew he couldn’t. Gavin had to get back to his farm before the sun rose so that he could get a little sleep before the day’s workload began, and Ryan had to return to the castle before anyone noticed he was missing and sent out a search party.

Gavin stood, brushing down his pants, and he held out a calloused hand to pull Ryan up. Once they were both standing, Gavin stood on the tips of his toes to press a chaste kiss to Ryan’s mouth, one that resembled a goodbye. He stepped back, a small smile dancing on his lips.

“Farewell, my Prince,” he said, mockingly formal, even gracing Ryan with a curtsy. Ryan chuckled at the sight, and he appreciated Gavin trying to lighten the mood, but he couldn’t help but feel sad.

“Goodbye, my love. I’ll see you soon,” he replied, and Gavin gave him one last quick kiss before he was off, slipping into the trees like a breath of air. Once he was gone all Ryan could hear was the trickle of the river, a sound that had long since become familiar, and he sighed as he reached down to pick up the basket, folding the tablecloth and packing it away. But as he made the trek back to the castle, he couldn’t help but be happy with the hope that, hopefully soon, he would see Gavin again.

 


End file.
